"I think I like the image of life better than life because I don't think real life is as satisfying as film." — François Truffaut

Monday, December 04, 2006

The Wire No. 49: That's Got His Own

BLOGGER'S NOTE:As always, know that spoilers lie below, so don't venture further unless you've seen the episode or don't care if you know what happens.

WIRE WATCHERS NOTE: Be aware that next week's season finale runs longer than the usual episode, about an hour and 15 minutes, so if you record it in some way, adjust your devices accordingly.

By Edward CopelandMichael is running — and fast — through alleyways, around corners, into abandoned buildings. The reason for his race: The pursuit by an armed Chris and Snoop.However, no need to fear for Michael’s life — it is all for show and Michael has decided to not to run away from his decision to let Marlo’s hit squad take care of his stepfather problem for him. Depressingly, Michael has fully embraced a role as a soldier for Marlo and this is merely part of his training, the guns firing nothing but paint pellets. Michael has turned a corner — both literally and figuratively. Before the episode has ended, Michael has warned Namond to send a message to his 13-year-old lieutenant for stealing part of his supply and savagely beats the young man. Later, when Namond challenges Michael at the gym, he gives his friend a beating as well before Cutty orders him out of the gym. In retrospect, Cutty feels bad about throwing the teen out, recalling his own past, and seeks him out on the street to apologize — and gets shot in the leg for his efforts. Namond finally breaks down to Carver and Cutty (prior to Cutty’s shooting) — it’s obvious that Cutty nailed it when he said that Namond may carry Wee-Bey’s blood, but not his heart. Despite the best efforts of his shrew of a mother, Namond isn’t cut out for the corners. After Carver takes Namond back to the station, he calls Bunny. Colvin asks the sergeant if he’d contacted Namond’s mom and learns her reply: “Put that bitch in baby booking.” Things aren’t going much better for the other half of the quartet of friends. Dukie discovers that his family has once again been evicted, but Michael offers him refuge, having been set up in his own place with his little brother. Perhaps the student suffering the most though is Randy, exiled in his apartment with his foster mom as the threats from his snitching have grown more intense. Carver has placed an around the clock police watch on the apartment, but the squad car is easily lured away by a false phone call and Randy’s apartment gets firebombed with his great foster mom paying the price with massive burns. At the hospital, Randy lashes out at Carver about how promises to help him have proved impossible to achieve as Randy now faces the prospect of having to find another home or to return to a group home. A more permanent fate befalls Sherrod, who gets his hands on the tainted drugs that Bubbles intended for his street tormentor and Bubbles finds him dead in the morning and is inconsolable. As for the school system itself, Deacon intercedes for Colvin and Parenti and gets them a meeting with Odell Watkins in hopes of saving their special class. Carcetti finds himself having to turn to the state for help with the $54 million school district, which no one wants to take blame for, but the unseen Republican governor — already seeing Carcetti as a potential challenger for his job two years down the road attaches many strings so that no matter whether Carcetti takes the help or rejects it, he can make it look bad for the rookie mayor. On the police front, Lester takes Daniels up on his offer to pick his own boss at MCU and the MCU crew bids a fond farewell to the sinister Lt. Marimow and welcome the return of the house-obsessed lieutenant whom Lester describes as “one of the most efficient supervisors in the department.” Lester’s search for Marlo’s victims doesn’t sit well with Landsman who tells him to stop looking for bodies. He also finds rough going with the missing persons department for a list of reported missing persons since the department has been cut down to a one-man operation. Lester also loses one of his MCU crew as IAD finally shows up for Herc to talk about that missing camera. As awful and incompetent as Herc has proved to be this season, I can’t say I shed any tears over that. Carcetti learns about the sudden appearance of lots of unsolved murders, but he gives permission for the department to keep looking for them — because the bodies will end up on Mayor Royce's crime statistics instead of Carcetti's. Omar completes his revenge on Prop Joe, executing his most elaborate takedown yet with a larger than usual crew that hits Cheese and Prop Joe’s other people just as they are about to receive their latest package. Omar even returns to whistling “The Farmer in the Dell” on the way as his assault promises to lead to his largest payday yet. Oh, indeed.